Issue 734 – Giant’s Shoulders – May 4, 2022
Yesterday, Kathy and I took a little trip out to Cascade Falls near Mission. It is a small but beautiful park. I am battling a cold, so I didn’t feel up to the hike up to the falls themselves, but we enjoyed the park’s lower part.
Down in the picnic area, I came across this lovely old-growth tree. It died after a long life but provided ideal habitat for new growth to take hold. As the old maxim goes, those young trees are “standing on the shoulders of giants.”
It is a maxim that applies equally to those of us in the church.
We stand on the shoulders of the first apostles and writers of the New Testament. By their pens and the inspiration of Holy Spirit, we have the recording of the works, claims and promises of Christ.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
We also have a call to the teaching of sound doctrine.
But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Titus 2:1
The New Testament writers were flawed, but the Spirit wrote without error through them.
We also stand on the shoulders of other giants. Every true believer has been indwelt by the Holy Spirit from Pentecost until today. The same spirit of truth throughout the ages.
While their works are not inspired like the Scriptures, these giants who came ahead of us wrote the creeds and confessions, articulated doctrines, preached sermons and taught the truth of sound doctrine.
We ignore the Spirit’s work in them to our detriment. Their work is invaluable to the degree it accurately reflects Scripture.
Far too often, Christians want to rely solely on their own understanding of the Scriptures and ignore the giants who came before us. Yes, the Spirit illuminates the Scriptures for us, and we can gain an understanding with any assistance. Yet, we must also be aware that those who created the rankest of heresies and variant teaching did the same.
Often we rely on the giants without realizing it. I would challenge any Christin to come up with the doctrine of the trinity from scratch with no help. It is biblically accurate and an essential part of our faith, yet it took the wisdom of a church council following the Spirit’s leading to articulate it.
We can learn much from the giant on whose shoulders we stand. We can learn from their teaching and prayers. We can learn from their mistakes.
It is a foolhardiness to blindly accept everything they taught or put them on pedestals for worship. We ignore 2,000 years of Spirit-inspired wisdom to our loss.
Christianity is a faith done in community. That community includes your local assembly, every other believer alive today, and those who came before us.
I have been blessed to have my understanding of the Scriptures and the call of Christ greatly enhanced by the works of preachers and teachers, both past and present. Even with that, there is much for me to learn and apply better.
I can’t do it without the Spirit at work in me. All the teaching in the world is empty without the Spirit. Yet, I know the same Spirit alive in me was alive in others, and I need to listen to what He has shown them.
Our faith is in Christ. His Word is inspired. Yet He has given us giants to uplift us. Make wise use of them.
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Thanks.
Hallelu Yah (Praise God)
Be blessed.
Kevin.
Gleanings From The Word.
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (for the glory of God alone.)
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